1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates broadly to improvements in battens for sails of boats and other sailcraft. More particularly, it concerns novel forms of sail batten luff caps, improved sail battens comprising such caps and batten-sail combinations equipped with the improved sail battens.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As explained in my previous patent U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,669, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, battens are extensively used with sails for sailcraft, e.g., sailboats, iceboats, wind propelled scooters, sail-boards, etc., to support and/or shape the sails. The sails with which battens are used include lugsails, lateen sails, square-rigged sails, jib-headed (Marconi rig) sails and gaff rig sails. This invention pertains primarily to battens for jib-headed sails.
Jib-headed sails may be divided into several classes with respect to battens, namely, unbattened sails, partial batten sails and full battened sails. The battens serve to support roach (excess cloth) formed into the leech of the sail. Hence, sails, e.g., those used on cruising boats, made without roach do not need battens so are unbattened.
In racing sailboats, iceboats and other racing sailcraft, high performance is demanded of the sails. The sails for such sailcraft are usually made with a high degree of roach and require battens to provide proper leech shape. The partial batten type sails use a plurality of battens that are carried in pockets extending forward from the leech only a minor length of their chords of the sails. In contrast, full battened sails use a plurality of battens carried in pockets that extend all the way from the leech to the luff of the sail at spaced intervals between the foot and the head of the sail. The full type battens are longer than their respective pockets and by compressing such batten in their pockets between the luff and the leech, the battens can be caused to bow. The greater the compression, the greater the bow creating a larger draft in the sail. Hence, compression on the full type (FT) battens is used by the sailcraft operator to control sail shape to obtain maximum performance from the sail for the prevailing wind conditions.
Compression on the FT battens drives their fore ends into the leading edge of the batten pocket and into the sail luff. Consequently, the sail cloth in the pocket and the luff is subjected to excessive wear, often resulting in the batten producing a hole in the sail at the luff. Such damage to the sail is particularly severe where the fore ends of the FT battens are square. In order to reduce this form of sail damage, FT battens have been provided with rounded fore ends and/or rounded luff caps. Also, rigid cups made of plastic or the like have been riveted over the fore ends of the batten pockets. However, these modifications to FT batten arrangements have not fully eliminated the indicated batten compression damage to luff portions of sails in full battened sails for sailcraft.